The Mersey ferry, Royal Iris, hit the submerged remains of a mooring dolphin near to the entrance of the Manchester…

The lifeboat crew returned to the Lifeboat Station at Coosan Point where the shore crew recovered the lifeboat and prepared The Eric Rowse for service.

At 3.15 pm the volunteers were alerted again, this time to assist eight people aboard a hired cruiser aground north of the Black Islands at the north-east shore of Lough Ree.

The lifeboat crew, after conducting the usual checks, established a tow.

Once the vessel was free, it then continued its journey south to Athlone.

Commenting on the two rescues, Lough Ree RNLI lifeboat operations manager, Tony McCarth, issued advice to those using the lake.

“We were happy to be able to assist in both callouts today and to help these ten people continue to enjoy their weekend on Lough Ree. Heavy rain leads to poor visibility on the lake, which can make locating navigation markers difficult, even in calm conditions,” he stressed.

“We remind all users of the lake to ensure they check the weather forecast and seek local advice on likely conditions on the lake before leaving harbour,” added McCarth.